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f+h Intralogistics 1/2015

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f+h Intralogistics 1/2015

WAREHOUSING 03 Picking

WAREHOUSING 03 Picking of the fast-moving bottles with pick-by-voice 02 The monorail system circulates to all storage and picking areas About SSI Schaefer The product range of SSI Schaefer/Fritz Schaefer GmbH, Neunkirchen/Germany – at the same time international headquarters of the SSI Schaefer Group – includes the core area of warehouse equipment as well as workshop, plant and office equipment, plus a variety of waste collection and recycling containers. Typical products are storage and transport containers, shelving, pallet racks, cantilever and mobile racking systems, which form the basis of manually operated or fully automated storage systems. Fritz Schaefer founded the company in 1937, and today SSI Schaefer has offices around the world. SSI Schaefer Noell GmbH, Giebelstadt/Germany , complements the service portfolio as a specialist for comprehensive logistics systems. As a general contractor the company has already implemented more than 300 logistics systems worldwide. The range goes from system planning and consulting to the implementation of turn-key systems and customized after-sales services. The portfolio is completed by innovative IT solutions complying with inhouse standards as well as SAP technology standards. SSI Schaefer Peem GmbH, Graz/Austria, specializes in modular order-picking technology. The company designs, develops and produces highly-dynamic small parts conveyor systems and automatic order-picking systems including customized software. As a general contractor, Salomon Automation GmbH, Friesach near Graz/Austria, provides complete, customized solutions for manual and fully automated warehouse systems. The company supports its customers in every aspect, from the solutionfinding and software implementation process to the training of the warehouse staff. With the logistics software WAMAS, Salomon Automation contributes to comprehensive visualization and optimization of the customers’ warehouse processes. Cranes, in a two-aisle miniload with nearly 14,000 storage positions. At the manual workstation B- and C-items are presented and picked into shipping boxes. At the side of the miniload 85 gravity roller conveyors with three box storage positions each are served by the crane. With pick-by-voice support, the picking of the fast-moving single bottles is done directly into the shipping boxes (Image 03). After completion of the single bottle-picking the shipping boxes from the B/C-bottle-picking and the A-bottle-picking are consolidated on pallets. The monorail then moves the pallets into the consolidation area. If necessary, the orders will be completed with items from the kegwarehouse, the Bag-in-Box-warehouse and by quarter pallets – an area has been implemented in the warehouse just for this reason. At two in-feed positions in the consolidation area the orders are then forwarded to a conveying system. It moves the palletized orders to a foil stretcher. Then shuttle cars deliver the ready-for-transport shipping pallets on 21 gravity roller conveyors with a capacity of eleven pallets each. “The unique combination of intelligent material flow design and high-performance components on the one hand as well as the reliable control by an excellent tailored warehouse management system on the other hand have significantly increased our capacity, efficiency and our service degree”, summarizes Lorna Stangeland, CEO at Vectura. “Despite the complex processes from the mix of completed pallets, box and single bottle picking, we had a throughput of 2,500 pallets every day in the shipping area since the completion of the distribution center in November 2012, which we were able to manage without problems. Photos: SSI Schaefer www.ssi-schaefer.com 32 f+h Intralogistics 1/2015

WAREHOUSING Witron quickly implements retrofit project The maintenance experts at Witron Logistik + Informatik in Parkstein, Germany only had four months to extensively modernize an aging dry food replenishment storage location in Layton, USA. The system consists of 12,800 pallet bays and was originally created and placed into operation 24 years ago. With a turnover of around USD 98 billion, the independent food retailer, The Kroger Co. with its headquarters in Cincinnati, USA, is one of the largest retailers in the world. The company has collaborated with the prime logistic contractor, Witron, for more than 15 years during which time they have implemented nine automation projects to date. Nowadays, the Witron systems are implemented in the food retail section, drugstore division, dry food department, as well as the fresh and frozen food sectors at Kroger. At the end of October 2013, Witron completed the largest intralogistics modernization project at Kroger to date – an undertaking which was a challenging task and had a tight schedule. Project experience pays off In accordance with previous implementation, scheduling and emergency concept plans, the team of experts from Witron started to replace seven racking storage and retrieval vehicles in July 2013. These were replaced with six new 25 m tall devices with turning and sliding fork. The seventh of the 120 m long storage aisles at the high-bay warehouse remained free to ensure better access to the system for any future maintenance work. The prime contractor replaced the original loading and unloading conveyor system in the front zone with more up-todate technology from the company Binder. With the help of the new racking storage and retrieval vehicles, all North American GMA (Grocery Manufacturers‘ Association) palettes can now be transported without using additional system palettes at a handling capacity of 46 individual operations per racking storage and retrieval vehicle. The existing S5 controls have been replaced with up-to-date S7 control technology. All of the conveyor technology processes are now coordinated by a new material flow computer from Witron. To control all of the processes in the high-bay warehouse, the operator also opted for a warehouse management system from Witron and thus replaced the previously used warehouse management system supplied by an American provider. In addition to the assembly and disassembly, the prime contractor also coordinated all of the work steps with suppliers and customers. „Even though the logistics center was not originally implemented by us, we were able to quickly familiarize ourselves with all of the task details thank to our specialist restructuring knowledge,“ explains Brian Sherman, project manager at Witron. „This was a decisive factor for ensuring that tight time restrictions were adhered to.“ The restructuring and commissioning work at the replenishment storage location was completed during ongoing operation by working night shifts, at weekends and during non-operating periods. Sherman: „Kroger supplies several hundred shops from its site in Layton. This is why the connected picking process could not be affected in any way. We therefore opted for a gradual replacement of the components. The crucial factor of the success strategy was to mechanically uninstall and reinstall the racking storage and retrieval vehicles, including the corresponding loading and unloading conveyor systems, in pairs. The PLC and material flow computer were commissioned at the same time, following which the product was placed into operation.“ The project was completed within the specified time frame and the employees in the picking department, as well as the customers in the branches hardly noticed the change. Thanks to the new IT, control system and mechanics, the high-bay warehouse in Layton is now back in line with the latest state of technology. Photos: Witron www.witron.com About Witron The company Witron Logistik + Informatik GmbH, which was founded in 1971 by graduate engineer Walter Winkler, plans, implements, and operates automated logistic material handling systems for the trade and industrial sectors. The company provides solutions from a single source for information and control technology right through to mechanical construction and production. With its headquarters in Parkstein, Germany, the company makes an annual turnover EUR 265 million (as at 2013) and employs approx. 2000 staff. The German company has branches in the Netherlands, USA, Canada, England, Spain, and France. f+h Intralogistics 1/2015 33

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